Compiled from wire services Jupiter Telecommunications Co., Japan's largest cable television operator, and its rival, Titus Communications Corp., the second-largest, announced Tuesday that they have agreed to effectively merge on Sept. 1 through a stock swap scheme.
The merged company would have 660,000 subscribers and, with 28 cable TV systems nationwide, would save on the cost of upgrading network systems, giving it a technological advantage in providing rapid access to a wide range of broadcast and Web services.
Jupiter is 60 percent owned by Sumitomo Corp. and 40 percent owned by Liberty Japan Inc., a unit of AT&T Corp. of the United States. It operates about 20 cable TV stations in and around Tokyo, Osaka, Fukuoka and their neighboring areas.